Adaptable redundant power

ABSTRACT

A system and method of managing a power infrastructure having a plurality of duty power modules (DPMs) configured to power a plurality of load centers. Various different operational modes may be deployed. Inherent redundancy mode is implemented by: monitoring operations of the power infrastructure; powering each load center during normal operations using DPMs through a load center switch via an enabled preferred setting (PS) input; providing an inherent redundancy (IR) bus coupled to each load center switch via an alternate setting (AS) input that is disabled during normal operations, wherein the IR bus is configured to receive excess capacity power exclusively from the DPMs; and in response to a detected DPM failure, disabling the PS input and enabling the AS input in the load center switch for an affected load center to capture power from the IR bus.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to supplying power to mission criticalfacilities such as data centers, and more particularly to a system andmethod of utilizing adaptable redundant power to provide power systemredundancy and capacity optimization.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Managing the power requirements of facilities such as data centersremains an ongoing challenge. In the US alone, billions ofkilowatt-hours of electricity are consumed by data centers each yearwith annual costs in the billions of dollars. Such operational costs arepassed to the tenants, and ultimately end users. Various factors thatdrive up costs include the need to provide excess capacity and highlevels of redundancy. For example, in order to ensure a high level ofservice, a typical tenant may only use 40-60% of a maximum powerrequirement they contracted for, resulting in a large amount unused orexcess capacity.

In addition, data centers must provide redundancy in the event of apower failure. Unfortunately, contemporary power systems are relativelyinflexible in that redundant components and designs are generally fixed,and cannot be altered to provide different levels of redundancy service.Accordingly, a typical data center is designed to provide one level ofredundancy to all tenants, regardless of their needs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Aspects of this disclosure provide an adaptable redundant power (ARP)management system for use in data centers and the like. ARP provides apower system redundancy configuration that can be dynamicallyimplemented, thus allowing multiple redundancy levels to besimultaneously offered within the same power system. In addition, ARPenables conversion of disjunctive unused inherent power capacity intoaccessible power capacity that can be used to dynamically provideadditional redundant power. Further ARP can be used to redistributeunused capacity for additional sub-system power capacity.

Accordingly, ARP enables the controlled diversion of power capacity tosupport predetermined redundancy configurations and simultaneouslyprovide multiple redundancy configurations within the same power system.ARP also enables failure management when multiple power systemcomponents are simultaneously unavailable to maintain continuous powerto a prioritized hierarchy of loads.

Aspects disclose the use of switching devices, such as STS, staticswitches, solid-state circuit breakers, solid-state switches,electromechanical circuit breakers and/or electro-mechanical switches,capable of changing the state of power system redundancy configurationor alter the distribution of power to different loads with no powerinterruption.

A first aspect of the disclosure provides an adaptable redundant power(ARP) platform, comprising: a power infrastructure having: a pluralityof duty power module (DPMs) configured to power a plurality of loadcenters, wherein each of the DPMs provides power to at least one loadcenter during normal operations via a load center switch using anenabled preferred setting (PS) input, and an inherent redundancy (IR)bus coupled to each load center switch via an alternate setting (AS)input that is disabled during normal operations, wherein the IR bus isconfigured to receive excess capacity power exclusively from the DPMs;and an inherent redundancy (IR) mode manager that monitors the powerinfrastructure, and in response to a detected failure (e.g., DPM, cable,component, equipment, etc.) disables the PS input and enables the ASinput in the load center switch for an affected load center to capturepower from the IR bus.

A second aspect of the disclosure provides a method of managing a powerinfrastructure having a plurality of duty power module (DPMs) configuredto power a plurality of load centers, comprising: monitoring operationsof the power infrastructure; powering each load center during normaloperations using DPMs through a load center switch via an enabledpreferred setting (PS) input; providing an inherent redundancy (IR) buscoupled to each load center switch via an alternate setting (AS) inputthat is disabled during normal operations, wherein the IR bus isconfigured to receive excess capacity power exclusively from the DPMs;and in response to a detected failure (e.g., DPM, cable, component,equipment, etc.) disabling the PS input and enabling the AS input in theload center switch for an affected load center to capture power from theIR bus, wherein each load center switch comprises at least one of astatic transfer switch (STS), a static switch, a solid-state circuitbreaker, a solid-state switch, an electromechanical circuit breaker andan electro-mechanical switch.

A third aspect of the disclosure provides a computer program productstored on a computer readable medium, which when executed by a computingsystem provisions an ARP management system for managing a powerinfrastructure having a plurality of duty power module (DPMs) configuredto power a plurality of load centers, the program product comprising:program code for monitoring operations of the power infrastructure;program code for enabling a preferred setting (PS) input for a loadcenter switch to power each load center during normal operations usingduty DPMs; program code for disabling, during normal operations, aninherent redundancy (IR) bus which is coupled to each load center switchvia an alternate setting (AS) input, wherein the IR bus is configured toreceive excess capacity power exclusively from the DPMs; and programcode, that in response to a detected failure (e.g., DPM, cable,component, equipment, etc.) disables the PS input and enables the ASinput in the load center switch for an affected load center to capturepower from the IR bus.

A fourth aspect of the disclosure provides an adaptable redundant power(ARP) platform, comprising: a power infrastructure having: a pluralityof duty power module (DPMs) configured to power a plurality of loadcenters, wherein each of the DPMs provides power to at least one loadcenter during normal operations via a load center switch using anenabled preferred setting (PS) input, and at least one reserve DPM forpowering a reserve bus that is coupled to each load center switch via analternate setting (AS) input that is disabled during normal operations;and an adaptable redundancy (AR) mode manager that: predefinesredundancy levels for each load center based on a set of inputtedconfiguration parameters, monitors the power infrastructure, and inresponse to a detected failure (e.g., DPM, cable, component, equipment,etc.) transfers at least one load center switch from the PS input to theAS input according to the inputted configuration parameters to achievethe predefined redundancy levels.

A fifth aspect of the disclosure provides a method of managing a powerinfrastructure having a plurality of duty power module (DPMs) configuredto power a plurality of load centers, comprising: inputting a set ofconfiguration parameters that predefines redundancy levels for each loadcenter; monitoring operations of the power infrastructure; powering eachload center during normal operations using DPMs through a load centerswitch via an enabled preferred setting (PS) input; and in response to adetected duty failure (e.g., DPM, cable, component, equipment, etc.)transferring at least one load center switch from the PS input to analternate setting (AS) input according to the inputted configurationparameters to achieve the predefined redundancy levels, wherein the ASinput causes power to be obtained from a reserve bus powered by areserve DPM.

A sixth aspect of the disclosure provides a computer program productstored on a computer readable medium, which when executed by a computingsystem provides an ARP management system for managing a powerinfrastructure having a plurality of duty power module (DPMs) configuredto power a plurality of load centers, the program product comprising:program code for inputting a set of configuration parameters thatpredefines redundancy levels for each load center; program code formonitoring operations of the power infrastructure; program code forpowering each load center during normal operations using DPMs through aload center switch via an enabled preferred setting (PS) input; andprogram code for, in response to a detected duty failure (e.g., DPM,cable, component, equipment, etc.) transferring at least one load centerswitch from the PS input to an alternate setting (AS) input according tothe inputted configuration parameters to achieve the predefinedredundancy levels, wherein the AS input causes power to be obtained froma reserve bus powered by a reserve DPM.

The illustrative aspects of the present disclosure are designed to solvethe problems herein described and/or other problems not discussed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of this disclosure will be more readilyunderstood from the following detailed description of the variousaspects of the disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings that depict various embodiments of the disclosure, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a computing system having an ARP management system, inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 2 depicts a block redundant power infrastructure using AR, inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 3 depicts a table of permutations for applying AR to theinfrastructure of FIG. 2, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 4 depicts a block redundant power infrastructure managed by an IRmanager, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 5 depicts a distributed redundant power infrastructure managed byan IR manager, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 6 depicts load values for the power infrastructure of FIG. 5, inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 7 depicts a flow chart for implementing IR in accordance with anillustrative embodiment.

FIG. 8 depicts a conventional setup of a 4-to-3 N+1 distributedredundant infrastructure.

FIG. 9 shows an enhanced infrastructure of FIG. 8 that utilizes staticswitches, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 10 show an illustrative application involving the enhancedinfrastructure of FIG. 9, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 11 depicts load values for the power infrastructure of FIGS. 8-10,in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 12 depicts a further power infrastructure managed by an IR modemanager, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 13 depicts load values for the power infrastructure of FIG. 12, inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 14 depicts a flow diagram of a process of implementing an IR modemanager, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 15 depicts an alternative configuration of FIG. 12 using circuitbreakers, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 16 depicts a further block redundant power infrastructure managedby an IR mode manager, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 17 depicts load values for the power infrastructure of FIG. 16, inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 18 depicts a block redundant power infrastructure managed by an AIRmode manager, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 19 depicts load values for the power infrastructure of FIG. 18, inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 20 an alternative configuration of FIG. 18 using circuit breakers,in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 21 depicts a distributed redundant power infrastructure managed byan AIR mode manager involving a 5-to-4 distributed redundant systemusing SSWs, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 22 depicts load values for the power infrastructure of FIG. 21, inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 23 depicts a block redundant power infrastructure managed by an DLmode manager, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 24 depicts a set of generators for powering the powerinfrastructure of FIG. 23, in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment.

FIG. 25 depicts a flow diagram for implementing a DL mode manager, inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 26 depicts a power infrastructure using solid state switchesmanaged by an DL mode manager, in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment.

FIG. 27 depicts a flow diagram for implementing a DL mode manager, inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 28 depicts a table of components and monitored features, inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 29 depicts a block diagram of the monitoring and control process,in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

The drawings are intended to depict only typical aspects of thedisclosure, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scopeof the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Embodiments of the disclosure provide technical solutions for providingadaptable redundant power management for power consuming facilities.Note that while the embodiments described herein are directed to datacenter facilities, it is understood that the concepts could be appliedto any type of mission critical facility in which redundant power isrequired for multiple load centers.

Referring to FIG. 1, an illustrative adaptable redundant power (ARP)platform is shown having a computing system 10 that provisions an ARPmanagement system 18 for managing a power infrastructure 34 for a datacenter 11. Power infrastructure 34 generally comprises a set of powersources 36, generally referred to as Duty Power Modules or DPM's,information technology load centers (ITLCs) 40 that contract for adefined amount of power from the data center 11, and a set of switches38 that control the flow of power from the power sources 36 to the loadcenters 40. DPM's may for example comprise a static or dynamic universalpower supply (UPS), switchgear that takes power directly from a utilityor standby generator, or any other power source equipment.

ARP management system 18 provides a platform through which differentpower infrastructure configurations or “modes” that provide dynamiccontrol over the power infrastructure 34 to increase flexibility, reducecapital cost and reduce operational costs. In this example, a switchcontrol system 20 monitors the operations of the power infrastructure 24via a monitoring system 35, and when a failure occurs, dynamicallycontrols the operation of the switches 38, e.g., based on prescribedredundancy levels, load analysis, load prioritization, etc. Thus, if aparticular DPM, i.e., power source, cable, component, equipment, etc.,fails, the switch control system 20 can dynamically configure theswitches 38 to redistribute power according to a preconfigured scheme.The ability to dynamically redistribute power in this manner allows ARPmanagement system 18 to either better leverage existing power systemtopologies or allow for newer topologies that require fewer backupresources.

As shown in FIG. 1, ARP management system 18 is configured to manage thepower infrastructure 24 in different operating modes 22. As shown,illustrative operating modes 22 can for example include one or more of:an adaptable redundancy (AR) mode manager 24, an inherent redundancy(IR) mode manager 26, an adaptable and inherent redundancy (AIR) modemanager 28 and a damage limitation (DL) mode manager 30.

As an example, AR mode manager 24 provisions and manages predeterminedredundancy levels to different load centers (ITLCs), typically usingknown topologies, in which redundancy is derived entirely from discreet,dedicated components. In AR mode, different ITLCs can for example besupported with either a single level or multiple levels of redundancy.When a failure occurs, AR mode manager 24 dynamically reconfiguresswitches 38 (e.g., using set-points provided by the configurationparameters 32) to allocate power in a prescribed manner such thatdifferent ITLCs are afforded different levels of service. In oneembodiment, ARP management system 18 utilizes a set of inputtedconfiguration parameters 32 for dictating a backup behavior for animplemented power infrastructure 34. The parameters 32 dictate how thepower infrastructure 34 should respond in the event of a failure toprovision prescribed redundancy levels.

ARP management system 18 is adapted to control various types of loadpower supply configurations and switches, including multi-power sourceinput ITLCs with external STS switching, multi-power source input ITLCswithin integral source input switching, multi-power source input ITLCswith external source input switching, etc. switching devices, such asSTS, Any type of static switches, solid-state circuit breakers,solid-state switches, electromechanical circuit breakers andelectro-mechanical switches, etc., capable of changing the state of thepower system redundancy configuration or alter the distribution of powerto ITLCs with no power interruption to the ITLCs when instructed by theARP management system 18 may be deployed.

FIG. 2 depicts a block redundant power infrastructure 50 that employs ARmode manger 24 to control a 1-of-4 configuration, in which differentITLCs are preconfigured with different levels of redundancy. In thiscase, U1 to U4 are DPMs, each with the same capacity, UR is a reserveduty power module (RDPM) with the same capacity as the DPMs, and ITLCs1-4 have a design capacity equal to the DPM capacity. Each STS 1-4comprises a static transfer switch having two inputs, PS and AS. EachSTS PS input is connected to the DPM input via its associated system bus(SB-Un) and each STS AS input is connected to the RDPM (UR) input viasystem bus SB-UR.

In a conventional mode, UR would provide N+1 DPM redundancy to each ITLCin this infrastructure 50, such that the system would operate withdistributed IT loads and the ITLCs would run at maximum load. In theevent a DPM output was unavailable, the STS connected to the unavailableDPM output will transfer to its alternate source (AS), and UR wouldprovide power to the ITLC connected to the affected DPM output. In theevent of multiple simultaneous DPM output failures, each STS connectedto the failed DPM outputs would transfer to their alternate source (AS).In such cases, UR would support the affected ITLCs provided the combinedsum of the affected IT loads was within the capacity of UR. Otherwise,UR would overload and all ITLCs connected to the failed DPM outputswould lose power.

By employing ARP management system 18 and AR mode manager 24 as shown,different ITLCs can be preconfigured with different redundancy servicelevels, thus providing a more flexible block redundant powerinfrastructure 50. In this case, AR mode manager 24 is configured toselectively enable and disable AS inputs in each STS to providedifferent levels of redundancy when a failure is detected by monitoringsystem 35. As shown, AR mode manager 24 is linked to each switch(STS1-4) using control signals show as dashed lines. The table shown inFIG. 3 details each of the possible AR permutations that AR mode managercan implemented for this configuration (e.g., based on inputtedconfiguration parameters).

Accordingly, if the data center needed to provision AR PermutationReference 1 in which ITLC1 is assigned a 2N DPM redundancy, and ITLC2,ITLC3 and ITLC4 are each assigned N DPM redundancy, and AR mode manager24 would dynamically set the STS switches as follows when a failureoccurs:

STS1: PS set to U1, AS transfer enabled

STS2: PS set to U2, AS transfer is disabled

STS3: PS set to U3, AS transfer is disabled

STS4: PS set to U4, AS transfer is disabled

To achieve AR Permutation Reference 9 in which ITLC1 and ITLC2 areassigned N+1 DPM redundancy, and ITLC3 and ITLC4 are assigned N DPMredundancy, AR mode 24 would set the STS switches as follows when afailure occurs:

STS1: PS set to U1, AS transfer enabled

STS2: PS set to U2, AS transfer enabled

STS3: PS set to U3, AS transfer disabled

STS4: PS set to U4, AS transfer disabled

Inherent redundancy (IR) mode manager 26 (FIG. 1) provisions and managespredetermined redundant levels to the ITLCs in which redundancy isderived entirely from unused power capacity, e.g., provided by existingDPMs. IR mode can thus operate within a new (or atypical) powerinfrastructure topology in which conventional discreet redundantcomponents can be eliminated or augmented. IR mode can also be leveragedto allow unused power capacity to be accessed and shared during normaloperating conditions.

FIG. 4 depicts a simple example of an IR power infrastructure 60 havingfour loads (L₁, L₂, L₃, L₄), four duty power module sources (U1, U2, U3,U4), and no reserve duty power module source. During normal operations,each duty power module (e.g., U1) is connected to a respective load(e.g., L₁) from a first feed 66 directly from the power source and froma second feed 68 via a switch (e.g., STS₁). As noted, infrastructure 60does not include a reserve duty power module (e.g., UR in FIG. 2).Instead, a shared IR bus 64 is provided, which receives excess power orunused capacity from each of the four duty power modules (U1, U2, U3,U4) via feeds 62. If one of the duty power modules fail (e.g., U1), thenthe associate switch (e.g., STS₁) disables the second feed 68 andenables IR feed 70 to power the load. Using this approach, excess powerfrom the remaining duty power modules (e.g., U2, U3, U4) provides thenecessary redundancy thus eliminating redundant components typicallyemployed in a power infrastructure. IR configuration set-points providedin the inputted configuration parameters 32 (FIG. 1) determines how theIR mode manager 26 responds to a failure condition. Thus, infrastructure60 can dynamically respond in a preconfigured manner to implement ITLCredundancy to suit end-user requirements.

Unused Capacity (UC) within the power infrastructure 60 is thedifference between the Contracted Power (C_(pwr)) and Maximum User Power(M_(pwr)) as given by the equation:

${U\; C} = {{\sum\limits_{1}^{n}{Cpwr}} - {\sum\limits_{1}^{n}{Mpwr}}}$

Utilization (U) is given by the equation:

$U = \frac{\sum_{1}^{n}{Mpwr}}{\sum_{1}^{n}{Cpwr}}$

Where

U=overall power system utilization

M_(pwr)=maximum power used by each ITLC

C_(pwr)=contracted power capacity of each ITLC

n=ITLC reference number

When IR mode is applied to the maximum utilization (U_(max)) for a powerinfrastructure with N duty modules with λ redundancy when there is nopower contribution from discreet redundant components is given by theequation:

${Umax} = \frac{N - \lambda}{N}$

Where

Umax=maximum utilization

N=number of DPMs to provide the Total Contracted Power (Cmax)

λ=required number of redundant components

The Maximum Actual Power simultaneously drawn by all ITLCs (M_(act)) isgiven by the equation:

M _(act) =U _(max) ·C _(max)

The following table shows U_(max) for N DPM when λ=1

N Umax 1  0.0% 2 50.0% 3 66.7% 4 75.0% 5 80.0% 6 83.3% 7 85.7% 8 87.5% 988.9% 10 90.0%

FIG. 5 shows a further implementation of an IR Power Infrastructure 74.In this example, IR is applied to a distributed redundant system havinga high-level conventional 4-to-3 Distributed Redundant system (with noreserve DPM). The example assumes the following:

U1 to U4 are DPMs, each rated at 1 MW

DPM redundancy is N+1

C_(max)=3 MW

L_(max)=0.75 MW

FIG. 6 depicts three scenarios 80, 82, 84 in which arbitrary loads(L_(act)) assigned to ITLCs 1-6 each have a total load distribution of2.5 MW system. Scenario 80 depicts normal operations (no failure) usinga distributed redundancy approach. As shown, each load, such as ITLC489, is capable of receiving power from four different DPMs (U1/U3 on thetop and U4/U1 on the bottom). In this case, the total loads 81 from eachDPM are all below the 1 MW rating.

Scenario 82 in FIG. 6 again shows the effect of distributed redundancywith no IR mode applied, in which loads 83 on each DPM result when U1 isunavailable. In this case, failure of U1 results in the load capacity ofU4 to be exceeded (i.e., U4 is 1.050). Such an overload of U4 may causethe power source to be disconnected resulting in a total power systemfailure. Accordingly, a disadvantage of this distributed redundanttopology with IR mode manager is that loads must be manually managed toensure the system does not overload one of the available loads when oneor more DPM outputs are unavailable.

IR mode enables the system to overcome the disadvantage of manual loadmanagement associated with distributed redundant systems. Scenario 84again shows a failure of U1, but in this case, unused capacity from U2is accessed by instructing STS2B 87 in real-time to switch frompreferred setting (PS) U4 to its alternate source (AS) U2 to prevent U4from overloading (i.e., U4 is at 0.850 MW). In this case, monitoringsystem 35 monitors each of the DPM loads (U1-U4), as well as the loadsprovided through each switch (e.g., STS2B) and each load center (e.g.,ITLC2). When a failure occurs, IR mode manager 26 dynamically implementsa strategy to redistribute loads to avoid overload conditions.

FIG. 7 depicts a flow diagram showing a process for applying IR to anN+1 distributed redundant system when a single DPM becomes unavailable.At S1, ARP management system 18 is set to normal status, and at S2 loadand system status is updated using monitoring system 35 that importsloads and statuses at S3. At S4, a determination is made whether all ofthe DPMs are available (i.e., no failure). If all are available, theprocess of updating the load/system statuses repeats. If not all DPMsare available (i.e., a failure is detected at S4), then a determinationis made whether any of the remaining operational DPMs are exceedingtheir maximum load at S5. If no, the process of updating the load/systemstatuses repeats at S2. If yes at S5, then IR mode manager 26 calculatesa switch configuration to address the overloaded DPM at S6. At S7, theswitch configuration is implemented to rebalance the loads until theoff-line DPM is fixed.

FIGS. 8-11 depict an illustrative embodiment of applying IR to a 4-to-3distributed redundant infrastructure. FIG. 8 depicts a conventionalsetup of a 4-to-3 N+1 distributed redundant infrastructure 72 havingfour DPMs (U1-U4) and six load centers (ITLC1-ITLC6), in which each DPMprovides power to three load centers (e.g., U1 powers ITLC1-ITLC3), U2powers ITLC1, ITLC4, ITLC5, etc.). Further, each load center receivespower from two unique DPMs (e.g., ILTC5 receives power from U2 and U5).For the purposes of this example, assume:

U1 to U4 are DPMs, each rated at 1 MW

DPM redundancy is N+1

Cmax=3 MW

Lmax=0.75 MW

FIG. 9 shows an enhanced infrastructure 73 of FIG. 8 in which six staticswitches 75 (SSW-n) are introduced between each of the four buses(SB-Un) to allow for the flow of inherent power. Accordingly, a switch75 is provided to connect bus U1 to U2, U1 to U3, U1 to U4, U2 to U3, U2to U4, and U3 to U4. FIG. 11 shows an arbitrary load distribution table81 for infrastructure 73 that provides a total load of 2.5 MW duringnormal operations 81. For instance, as shown, ITLC1 requires 1.000 MW ofwhich 0.500 is provided by U1 and 0.500 is provided by U2. As alsoshown, U1 supplies 0.500 MW to ITCL1, 0.100 MW to ITLC2, and 0.375 MW toITLC3, totaling 0.975 MW.

FIG. 10 shows the enhanced infrastructure 73 when U1 becomesunavailable. In this case, dashed lines 77 coming from U1 are impacted,thus eliminating U1's power feeds to ITLC1, ITLC2 and ITLC3. Theresulting load distribution table 83 is shown in FIG. 11. In thisexample the capacity of U2 is exceeded (i.e., a load of 1.200 MW isrequired but U2's capacity is only 1.000 MW). The overload of U2 maycause U2 to be disconnected resulting in a total power system failure.

In this case, in order to address the above issue, switch 79 (SSW-4) isactivated connecting bus SB-U2 with SB-U3, thus allowing the inherentpower to be transferred to SB-U2 via SSW-4 from SB-U3. The resultingload distribution table 85 is shown in FIG. 11. The unused capacity fromU3 is accessed by SB-U2, reducing U2's load down to 1.000 MW andincreasing U3's load to 0.625.

FIG. 12 depicts a further IR power infrastructure 92 that utilizes IR toconvert a 2N system to an N+1 system using STS switches. The primarybenefits of the conversion are a 50% increase in maximum actual load(M_(act)) and 100% increase in ILTC load (M_(pwr)) provided U_(max) doesnot exceed 75% of the total contracted power (C_(max)). U_(max) for N+ADPM component redundancy configuration using IR only, i.e., with noredundant power contribution from discreet redundant components is givenby equation:

${Umax} = \frac{N - \lambda}{N}$

Table A provides a comparison between the 2N and the converted IR N+1systems. The IR N+1 system is physically identical to the 2N systemshown in FIG. 12 except for the SBn bus-ties 90, 91, which can benormally open or closed for a 2N system. The SBn bus-ties 90, 91 arenormally closed in this IR example.

TABLE A System Type Configuration 2N IR N + 1 Maximum Actual Load(M_(act))      4 MW    6 MW Quantity of DPM 4 4 Individual DPM Capacity     2 MW    2 MW Quantity of ITLCs 8 8 Maximum ITLC Load (M_(pwr)) ≤0.5MW ≤1 MW Total Contracted Power (C_(max))      4 MW    8 MW U_(max) 50%75% Component Fault Tolerance Dual Single Distribution Fault TolerantYes Yes

As can be seen, the maximum actual load (M_(act)) increases from 4 MW to6 MW. FIG. 13 illustrates two scenarios for the system of FIG. 12.Scenario 94 illustrates normal operation of an arbitrary uneven ITLCload distribution (e.g, ILTC1=0.80, ILTC2=0.90, etc.) and total ITLCload equal to M_(act), 6 MW in this case. Consider a short circuit atSB-U1. This requires the bus-tie circuit breaker 90 connecting SB-U1 andSB-U2 to disconnect (typically within half a cycle) to maintain power tothe ITLCs. As shown in scenario 96 of FIG. 13 in which U1 is at 0.00, toprevent U2 from overloading, IR mode manager 26 commands the STSs toredistribute the load such that the load on SB-U2 is reduced to 2 MW. Inthis example, IR mode manager 26 achieves the redistribution of power tothe ITLC loads by controlling the STSs as follows:

STS1A: PS set to U1, transfer to AS enabled

STS1B: PS set to U3, AS transfer disabled

STS2A: PS set to U1, transfer to AS enabled

STS2B: PS set to U3, AS transfer disabled

STS3A: PS set to U1, transfer to AS enabled

STS3B: PS set to U3, AS transfer disabled

STS4A: PS set to U1, transfer to AS enabled

STS4B: PS set to U3, AS transfer disabled

STS5A: PS set to U2, AS transfer disabled

STS5B: PS set to U4, AS transfer disabled

STS6A: PS set to U2, AS transfer disabled

STS6B: PS set to U4, AS transfer disabled

STS7A: PS set to U2, AS transfer disabled

STS7B: Force transfer from PS to AS and latch

STS8A: PS set to U2, AS transfer disabled

STS8B: PS set to U4, AS transfer disabled

FIG. 14 depicts a flow diagram of a process that utilizes IR to converta 2N system to an N+1 system involving a single unavailable DPM. At A1,ARP management system 18 is set to normal status, and at A2 load andsystem status is updated using monitoring system 35 that imports loadsand statuses at A3. At A4, a determination is made whether Un output isavailable (i.e., no failure). If available, the process of updating theload/system statuses repeats. If not (i.e., a failure is detected atA4), then a determination is made whether the DPM load exceeds the DPMcap at A5. If no, the process of updating the load/system statusesrepeats at A2. If yes at A5, then IR mode manager 26 calculates andresolves a switch configuration to address the Un<DPM CAP A6. At A7, theswitch configuration is implemented to rebalance the loads until theoff-line DPM is fixed.

FIG. 15 depicts an equivalent infrastructure using solid state circuitbreakers (e.g., CB1A, CB2A, etc.) to replace STS switches.

FIG. 16 depicts a further IR power infrastructure 95 for a 1-of-6 blockredundant system. In this example, N+1 DPM redundancy is derived fromthe unused power capacity in the DPM modules U1 to U6. The exampleassumes the following:

U1 to U6 are DPMs, each rated at 1 MW

DPM redundancy is N+1

C_(max)=6 MW

L_(max)=1.0 MW

λ=1

Arbitrary loads (L_(act)) assigned to ITLCs are shown in FIG. 17. Thearbitrary total load of the system is 4.2 MW, and associated loaddistribution (MW) during normal operations are shown in scenario 100.Static switches SSW1 to SSW6 are open during normal operation. From theequations above, U_(max)=83.3% and M_(act)=5 MW.

Consider an event where U1 output is unavailable, as shown in scenario102. ITLC1 requires 0.8 MW of redundant power. The IR mode manager 26could derive 0.8 MW from SSW2 and SSW5 as follows:

SSW1: off

SSW2: on

SSW3: off

SSW4: off

SSW5: on

SSW6: off

STS1A: PS set to U1, AS transfer enabled

STS1B: PS set to U1, AS transfer enabled

STS2A: PS set to U2, AS transfer disabled

STS2B: PS set to U2, AS transfer disabled

STS3A: PS set to U3, AS transfer disabled

STS3B: PS set to U3, AS transfer disabled

STS4A: PS set to U4, AS transfer disabled

STS4B: PS set to U4, AS transfer disabled

STS5A: PS set to U5, AS transfer disabled

STS5B: PS set to U5, AS transfer disabled

STS6A: PS set to U6, AS transfer disabled

STS6B: PS set to U6, AS transfer disabled

Adaptable and inherent redundancy (AIR) mode combines the functionalityof AR mode and IR mode to automatically provision the redundancyconfiguration of the power infrastructure supporting the ITLCs witheither a single level or multiple levels of redundancy. AIR mode can beachieved by either partitioning a predetermined percentage of inherentredundancy and discreet redundant components' capacity or by allocatingthe entire capacity of inherent redundancy or certain discreet redundantcomponents. In all instances, individual ITLCs are assignedpredetermined redundant power configurations. The AIR redundancyconfiguration set-points can be adjusted to automatically change theITLC redundancy configuration to suit end-user requirements.

Consider the AIR power infrastructure 104 shown in FIG. 18 in which AIRis applied to a modified N+1 Block Redundant system with six DPM modules(U1-U6). The example assumes the following:

U1 to U6 are DPMs, each rated 1 MW

UR is the RDPM rated 1 MW

C_(max)=6 MW

C_(pwr)=1 MW

L_(act)=1 MW

STS PS is connected to the DPM via its sub-board, SB-n

STS AS is connected to the RDPM via SB-UR

The connection of each DPM to SB-UR is controlled by AIR mode manager 28using static switches (SSW1 to SSW6). The infrastructure is required toprovide DPM redundancy to the ITLCs as shown in Table B:

TABLE B ITLC Redundancy 1 2N 2 N + 1 3 N + 1 4 N + 1 5 N + 1 6 N + 1The application of AIR to a Block Redundant system requires bothinherent redundant power and adaptable redundant power to be distributedto the ITLCs via SB-UR. In one example, N+1 redundancy is required forITLC2, ITLC3, ITLC4, ITLC5 and ITLC6, which is provided as follows:

N+1 redundancy to ITLC2, ITLC3, ITLC4, ITLC5 and ITLC6 is derived fromthe DPM;

2N redundancy to ITLC1 provided by the RDPM; and

The upper utilization limit (Umax) for a 6-module N+1 Block Redundantsystem is 83.3%. Therefore, as long as the aggregated sum of the ITLCmaximum power is less than 83.3% of C_(max), the DPM's collectively willalways be capable of providing N+1 inherent redundant power using thecollectively unused DPM capacity. For an AIR Block Redundant system toaccess inherent power, the DPMs must be connected to SB-UR. In thisexample, this is achieved using static switches (SSW1-SSW6) connectedbetween each DPM output and SB-UR. Scenario 104 shown in FIG. 19 showsthe system is operating at maximum capacity in normal operating modewith a random load distribution.

In the event U2 is unavailable (as shown in dotted lines of FIG. 12 andscenario 106 of FIG. 19), AIR mode manager 28 will provide 0.9 MW toITLC2 by diverting inherent power from DPM U1, U3, U4, U5 and U6. URprovides 2N redundancy to ITLC1. AIR mode manager 28 could control theSTS and Static Switches as follows:

SSW1: on

SSW2 off

SSW3: on

SSW4: on

SSW5: on

SSW6: on

STS1A: PS set to U1, AS transfer disabled

STS1B: PS set to U1, AS transfer disabled

STS2A: PS set to U2, AS transfer enabled

STS2B: PS set to U2, AS transfer enabled

STS3A: PS set to U3, AS transfer disabled

STS3B: PS set to U3, AS transfer disabled

STS4A: PS set to U4, AS transfer disabled

STS4B: PS set to U4, AS transfer disabled

STS5A: PS set to U5, AS transfer disabled

STS5B: PS set to U5, AS transfer disabled

STS6A: PS set to U6, AS transfer disabled

STS6B: PS set to U6, AS transfer disabled

The AIR redundancy configuration can subsequently be easily changed tosuit future changes in ITLC redundancy requirements by reconfiguring AIRredundancy set points.

Damage limitation (DL) mode is intended for use where each ITLC has apriority ranking based on its functional importance and in circumstanceswhere a failure or multiple simultaneous failures of components ordistribution paths occur. In such cases, the residual power available inthe system after the failures may be insufficient to support all ITLCsand may result in a total loss of power to the whole power system. DLmode manager 30 will instruct the STSs and SSWs to, e.g., disconnectlower priority ITLCs and divert power capacity, which would otherwisefeed the lower priority ITLCs, to the higher priority ITLCs.

FIG. 20 depicts an equivalent example of and AIR application using solidstate circuit breakers instead of STS switches.

FIG. 21 depicts an AIR application involving a 5-to-4 distributedredundant system using SSWs. This example illustrates AIR applied to amodified N+1 Distributed Redundant system with five DPMs.

The example assumes the following:

U1 to U5 are DPMs, each rated 1 MW

DPM redundancy is N+1

Cmax=4 MW

Lmax=0.8 MW

Arbitrary loads (Lact) assigned to ITLCs are shown in tables 150, 152,154 of FIG. 22. The arbitrary total load of the system is 3 MW andassociated load distribution (MW) under normal conditions is shown intable 150.

The connection of each DPM to alternative SB-Un is controlled by ARPusing static switches (SSW1 to SSW10).The power system is required to provide DPM redundancy to the ITLCs asstated in the following table.

ITLC Redundancy 1 2N 2 N + 1 3 N + 1 4 N + 1 5 N + 1 6 N + 1 7 N + 1 8N + 1 9 N + 1 10 N + 1

The application of AIR to a Distributed Redundant system requires bothinherent redundant power and adaptable redundant power to be distributedto the ITLCs via SB-Un's.

In this example, N+1 redundancy is required for ITLC2, ITLC3, ITLC4,ITLC5, ITLC6, ITLC7, ITLC8, ITLC9 and ITLC10. This is provided asfollows: N+1 redundancy to ITLC2, ITLC3, ITLC4, ITLC5, ITLC6, ITLC7,ITLC8, ITLC9 and ITLC10 is derived from the inherent redundancy withinthe distributed redundant system. 2N redundancy to ITLC1 provided by DPMU1 and U2. The upper utilization limit (Umax) for a 5-module N+1 BlockRedundant system is 80%. Therefore, on condition the aggregated sum ofthe ITLC maximum power is less than 80% of Cmax, the DPM collectivelywill always be capable of providing N+1 inherent redundant power usingthe collectively unused DPM capacity. For an AIR Distributed Redundantsystem to access inherent power each SB-Un must be interconnected. Inthis example this is achieved using static switches (SSW-n) connectedbetween each duty SB-Un. The table 150 shown in FIG. 22 shows the systemis operating in normal operating mode with a random load distribution,and none of the static switches are active.

In the event U1 is unavailable, the distributed redundant system willoperate without intervention using monitoring system 35 and AIR modemanager as follows. As shown via the dashed lines in FIG. 21, when U1 isunavailable, ITLC1-4 are directly impacted. The result is reflected intable 152 of FIG. 22.

In the event, U1 is unavailable and U3 fails the system will providepower to ITLC2, ITLC5, ITLC8 and ITLC9 by diverting inherent power fromDPMs U4 via SSW-8 and U5 via SSW-9 as shown by reference number 160 inFIG. 21 whilst still maintaining ITLC1. The resulting load distributionfor this case is shown in table 154 of FIG. 22. For a failure involvingU1 and U3, AIR mode manager 28 would thus use the following StaticSwitching pattern:

SSW1: off

SSW2: off

SSW3: off

SSW4: off

SSW5: off

SSW6: off

SSW7: off

SSW8: on

SSW9: on

SSW10: off

Further switching patterns would be provided for other DPM failurecombinations in which inherent power is required.

FIG. 23 depicts a DL power infrastructure 110 having a high-level 1-of-4Block Redundant system single line diagram supported by five parallelstandby diesel generators configured with N+1 redundancy. The fivestandby generators G1-G5 are shown in FIG. 24 and the ITLCs arearbitrarily designated with priority ranking levels ranging from 1 to 4with 1 being the highest priority and 4 the lowest priority.

The conventional Block Redundant system reference example assumes thefollowing:

U1 to U4 are DPMs, each with the same capacity

UR is the reserve DPM (RDPM) with the same capacity as the DPM

Each ITLC has a design capacity equal to each DPM capacity

The ITLCs are equally loaded at full load capacity

Each STS preferred setting input is connected to its DPM input via itsSB-n sub-board

The STS alternate source input is connected to the reserve DPM input viaSB-UR

UR provides N+1 redundancy to the ITLCs

Each ITLC is operating at 100% capacity

G1 to G5 are standby diesel generators each with the same capacity

Each diesel generator has capacity to support one DPM maximum input load

In a scenario where the utility power source is unavailable, the powerinfrastructure 110 is required to run entirely on standby dieselgenerators. During the start-up of the five diesel generators, assume G1fails to start. The other four generators start, synchronize and sharethe load equally. At this stage, the overall power infrastructure 110has no residual generator redundancy. Several minutes after G1 fails,assume G2 develops a fault and is disconnected from the generator bus(GSB) shown in FIG. 24. The failure of G1 and G2 will cause G3, G4 andG5 to overload, resulting in a power failure to all ITLCs, unless theoverall ITLC load is reduced such that the reduced ITLC load can besupported by G3, G4 and G5. Given the IT load priorities stated above,to maintain power system integrity to the higher priority load centers,DL Mode Manager 30 could instruct the switches as follows. Namely, whenG1 is unavailable, retain N+1 DPM and generator redundancy to ITLC1,ITLC2 and ITLC3 and change ITLC4 DPM and generator redundancy to N asfollows:

STS1A: PS set to U1, AS transfer enabled

STS1B: PS set to U1, AS transfer enabled

STS2A: PS set to U2, AS transfer enabled

STS2B: PS set to U2, AS transfer enabled

STS3A: PS set to U3, AS transfer enabled

STS3B: PS set to U3, AS transfer enabled

STS4A: PS set to U4, AS transfer disabled

STS4B: PS set to U4, transfer to AS disabled

When G1 and G2 are unavailable, retain N+1 DPM and generator redundancyto ITLC1 and ITLC2, change ITLC3 DPM and generator redundancy to N anddisconnect ITLC4 as follows:

STS1A: PS set to U1, AS transfer enabled

STS1B: PS set to U1, AS transfer enabled

STS2A: PS set to U2, AS transfer enabled

STS2B: PS set to U2, AS transfer enabled

STS3A: PS set to U3, AS transfer disabled

STS3B: PS set to U3, AS transfer disabled

STS4A: Disconnect output to ITLC4

STS4B: Disconnect output to ITLC4

The flow diagram shown in FIG. 25 illustrates how DL mode manager couldcontrol the STS switches of FIG. 23. Each generator is monitored at S10and at S11 a determination is made whether all of the five generatorsare available. If yes, the monitoring process continues. If no, a checkis made to see if four generators are available. If yes, then STS4A andSTS4B are transferred from PS to AS at S13. If no at S12, then a checkis made to see if three generators are available. If yes, then STS3A andSTS3B are transferred from PS to AS at S15, and outputs from STS4A andSTS4B are disconnected (shutting done ITLC4). If no at S14, then a checkis made to see if two generators are available. If yes, then STS2A andSTS2B are transferred from PS to AS at S17, and outputs from STS3A,STS3B, STS4A and STS4B are disconnected (shutting done ITLC3 and ITLC4).If no at S16, then a check is made to see if one generator is available.If yes, then at S19, and outputs from STS2A, STS2B, STS3A, STS3B, STS4Aand STS4B are disconnected (shutting done ITLC2, ITLC3 and ITLC4).

FIG. 26 depicts a DL distributed redundant power infrastructure 114example involving a high-level 4-to-3 Distributed Redundant system.ITLCs are arbitrarily designated with priority ranking levels 1 to 6;with 1 being the highest priority and 6 the lowest priority.

The conventional Distributed Redundant system reference example assumesthe following:

U1 to U4 are DPMs, each with the same capacity

DPM redundancy is N+1

Each SSCB preferred setting input is connected to its s input via itsSB-n bus

The ITLCs alternate source input is connected to an alternative DPMinput via SB-n bus

Solid-State Circuit Breakers configured as ATS

The ITLCs are equally loaded at full load capacity

In this example, assume DPM U1 develops a fault and is disconnected fromthe bus. At this stage, the overall power infrastructure 114 has no DPMredundancy. Several minutes after DPM U1 developed a fault, DPM U2develops a fault and is disconnected from the bus. The failure of U1 andU2 will cause U3 and U4 to overload, resulting in a power failure to allITLCs, unless the overall ITLC load is reduced such that the ITLC loadcan be supported by U3 and U4. Given the IT load priorities statedabove, to maintain power system integrity to the higher priority loadcenters, DL Mode manager 30 could instruct the solid-state-circuitbreakers as follows:

When U1 is unavailable:

SSCB1A: PS set to U1, transfer to AS enabled

SSCB1B: PS set to U4, AS transfer enabled

SSCB2A: PS set to U1, transfer to AS enabled

SSCB2B: PS set to U4, AS transfer enabled

SSCB3A: PS set to U1, transfer to AS enabled

SSCB3B: PS set to U2, AS transfer enabled

SSCB4A: PS set to U3, AS transfer enabled

SSCB4B: PS set to U4, AS transfer disabled

SSCB5A: PS set to U2, AS transfer enabled

SSCB5B: PS set to U3, AS transfer disabled

SSCB6A: PS set to U3, AS transfer enabled

SSCB6B: PS set to U2, AS transfer disabled

When both U1 and U2 are unavailable:

SSCB1A: disabled

SSCB1B: PS set to U4, AS transfer enabled

SSCB2A: PS set to U1, transfer to AS enabled

SSCB2B: PS set to U4, AS transfer disabled

SSCB3A: PS set to U1, transfer to AS enabled

SSCB3B: PS set to U2, transfer to AS enabled

SSCB4A: PS set to U3, AS transfer disabled

SSCB4B: PS set to U4, AS transfer disabled

SSCB5A: PS set to U2, Disconnect output to ITLC5

SSCB5B: PS set to U3, Disconnect output to ITLC5

SSCB6A: Disconnect output to ITLC6

SSCB6B: Disconnect output to ITLC6

FIG. 27 is high-level flow diagram that illustrates how the DL ModeManager 30 can control the solid-state-circuit-breakers of FIG. 26. DPMsU1-U4 are monitored at S20, and at S21 a determination is made whetherall four DPMs are available. If yes, the process repeats. If no, adetermination is made whether three DPMs are available at S22. If yes,the process repeats. If no, a determination is made whether two DPMs areavailable at S23. If yes, then ILTC5 and ILTC6 are disconnected at S24.If no, a determination is made whether one DPM is available at S25. Ifyes, then ILTC3 and ILTC4 are disconnected at S24.

ARP management system 18 (FIG. 1) generally comprises hardware, softwareand communications sub-systems that continuously monitors the powerinfrastructure components and can act as the overarching controller ofspecific components. During normal operating conditions the power systemoperates autonomously without ARP management system 18 intervention.However, during certain abnormal operating conditions ARP managementsystem 18 will override autonomous control of the certain powerinfrastructure components.

The ARP management system 18 monitors the electrical characteristics ofkey power system components during normal and abnormal conditions. Theresults are converted into digital numeric values that are used by theARP management system 18 to control the operation of specific powersystem components, such as STS, SSW and SSCB switches.

As shown in FIG. 28, various components shown along the top (e.g.,standby generator, main switchboard, etc.) can be monitored for variousconditions shown along the side (e.g., Steady State V, I an f, ShortCircuit, etc.). Some entries may be monitored, not monitored, ormonitored and controlled, as shown. FIG. 29 shows how automated inputsfrom different data center components are received by the ARP managementsystem 18 and then analyzed. Based on the analysis, outputs are sentback to the components, to alter switches, etc.

The ARP management system 18 should have the same or higher degree ofreliability and availability as the power infrastructure 34 it iscontrolling. There are established methods for achieving fault toleranthardware such as triple modular redundancy and design diversity. Themost appropriate method of hardware resilience should be determined thebased upon the reliability and availability of the power system requiredfor the specific ARP application. Subject to the power systemreliability and availability requirements, the appropriate approach toARP firmware resilience such as N-Version programming or independentapplication development should be determined.

ARP uses switching devices such as STS, SSW, SSCB, ATS to manage powerdistribution by controlling load flow quantum and direction. While anARP command is present at the switching device, for example an STS mustdisable autonomous transfer. Instructions from ARP management system 18must take precedence over autonomous switching commands. The ARPmanagement system 18 instructs switching devices to either transfer andlatch source inputs, latch existing source inputs or disconnect itsoutput to the ITLC. The power infrastructure 34 must remain under ARPcontrol until ARP sends a System Normal instruction to the switchingdevice. During normal operating conditions, where ARP does not issue asource transfer and latch or source latch instruction, the switchingdevice operates autonomously.

When ARP management system 18 commands a switching device to transferbetween its source inputs, the overall data acquisition, processing,transfer and latching time for the switching device to complete atransfer between source inputs are within the ITLC equipment powersupply tolerances.

The foregoing drawings show some of the processing associated accordingto several embodiments of this disclosure. In this regard, each drawingor block within a flow diagram of the drawings represents a processassociated with embodiments of the method described. It should also benoted that in some alternative implementations, the acts noted in thedrawings or blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figure or,for example, may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or inthe reverse order, depending upon the act involved. Also, one ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional blocks thatdescribe the processing may be added.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art upon reading thefollowing disclosure, various aspects described herein may be embodiedas a system, a device, a method or a computer program product (e.g., anon-transitory computer-readable medium having computer executableinstruction for performing the noted operations or steps). Accordingly,those aspects may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, anentirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software andhardware aspects. Furthermore, such aspects may take the form of acomputer program product stored by one or more computer-readable storagemedia having computer-readable program code, or instructions, embodiedin or on the storage media. Any suitable computer readable storage mediamay be utilized, including hard disks, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices,magnetic storage devices, and/or any combination thereof.

Each of the client computing system 10, cloud service 30 and back-endservice 40 may comprise any type of computing device that for exampleincludes at least one processor, memory, an input/output (I/O), e.g.,one or more I/O interfaces and/or devices, and a communications pathwayor bus. In general, the processor(s) execute program code which is atleast partially fixed in memory. While executing program code, theprocessor(s) can process data, which can result in reading and/orwriting transformed data from/to memory and/or I/O for furtherprocessing. The pathway provides a communications link between each ofthe components in the computing device. I/O can comprise one or morehuman I/O devices, which enable a user to interact with the computingdevice and the computing device may also be implemented in a distributedmanner such that different components reside in different physicallocations.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure.As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or DPM thereof. “Optional” or “optionally” means thatthe subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur,and that the description includes instances where the event occurs andinstances where it does not.

Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification andclaims, may be applied to modify any quantitative representation thatcould permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basicfunction to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a termor terms, such as “about,” “approximately” and “substantially,” are notto be limited to the precise value specified. In at least someinstances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision ofan instrument for measuring the value. Here and throughout thespecification and claims, range limitations may be combined and/orinterchanged, such ranges are identified and include all the sub-rangescontained therein unless context or language indicates otherwise.“Approximately” as applied to a particular value of a range applies toboth values, and unless otherwise dependent on the precision of theinstrument measuring the value, may indicate +/−10% of the statedvalue(s).

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the disclosure in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the disclosure and the practical application, and toenable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosurefor various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

1. An adaptable redundant power (ARP) platform for a block redundantinfrastructure, comprising: a plurality of load centers, wherein eachload center has a priority; a plurality of duty power module (DPMs),each configured to power an associated load center, wherein each loadcenter includes at least one unique load center switch coupled betweenthe load center and the associated DPM via a preferred setting (PS)input; a reserve DPM coupled to each of the load centers via analternate setting (AS) input on each load center switch, wherein eachload center switch includes a transfer mechanism configured to transferpower from the PS input to the AS input in response to a failure of theassociated DPM; and a plurality of standby generators coupled to ashared generator bus, wherein the shared generator bus is furthercoupled to and provides backup power to each of the DPMs and reserveDPM; and a damage limitation (DL) mode manager that, in response to adetected failure of at least one standby generator, disables thetransfer mechanism of a designated load center switch based on thepriority of an associated load center.
 2. The ARP platform of claim 1,wherein the platform comprises N load centers, N DPMs, and N+1 standbygenerators, and wherein the N load centers have priority of 1 to N. 3.The ARP platform of claim 2, wherein, in response to a detected failureof one standby generator, the transfer mechanism of the load centerswitch associated with a lowest priority load center is disabled.
 4. TheARP platform of claim 3, wherein, in response to a detected failure oftwo standby generators, the transfer mechanism of the load center switchassociated with a second lowest priority load center is disabled, andthe load center switch associated with the lowest priority load centeris disconnected from the lowest priority load center.
 5. The ARPplatform of claim 1, wherein each load center includes two unique loadcenter switches coupled between the load center and the associated DPMvia PS inputs.
 6. The ARP platform of claim 1, wherein each DPM andreserve DPM have the same designated capacity, and each load center hasa design capacity equal to the designated capacity.
 7. The ARP platformof claim 6, wherein all of the standby generators have an equal standbycapacity configured to support one DPM at a maximum input load.
 8. TheARP platform of claim 1, wherein the DL mode manager includes apredefined scheme for disabling transfer mechanisms and disconnectingload center switches based on priority and detected standby generatorfailures.
 9. An adaptable redundant power (ARP) platform for adistributed redundant infrastructure, comprising: a plurality of loadcenters, wherein each load center includes at least one correspondingload center switch, and wherein each load center has a priority; aplurality of duty power module (DPMs), each coupled to a first subset ofload centers via a first set of corresponding switches using a preferredsetting (PS) input and to a second subset of load centers via a secondset of corresponding switches using an alternate setting (AS) input,wherein each switch includes a transfer mechanism configured to transferpower from the PS input to the AS input in response to a failure of aDPM coupled to the PS input; and a damage limitation (DL) mode managerthat, in response to a detected failure of at least one DPM, disablesthe transfer mechanism of a designated subset of switches based on thepriorities of the corresponding load centers.
 10. The ARP platform ofclaim 9, wherein each load center includes a first switch and a secondswitch, wherein: the first switch has a PS input coupled to a first DPMand has an AS input coupled to a second DPM; and the second switch has aPS input coupled to a third DPM and has an AS input coupled to a fourthDPM.
 11. The ARP platform of claim 9, wherein, in response to a failedDPM, the DL mode manager disables the transfer mechanism on the subsetof switches having AS inputs coupled to the failed DPM.
 12. The ARPplatform of claim 9, wherein, in response to a first and second failedDPM, the DL mode manager disables the transfer mechanism on a subset ofswitches and disconnects at least one switch from a corresponding loadcenter.
 13. The ARP platform of claim 9, wherein each switch comprisesone of: a static transfer switch (STS), a static switch, a solid-statecircuit breaker, a solid-state switch, an electromechanical circuitbreaker or an electro-mechanical switch.
 14. The ARP platform of claim9, wherein all of the DPMs have an equal designated capacity, and eachload center is equally loaded at full load capacity.
 15. The ARPplatform of claim 9, wherein the DL mode manager includes a predefinedscheme for disabling transfer mechanisms and disconnecting load centerswitches based on priorities and detected DPM failures.
 16. An adaptableredundant power (ARP) platform, comprising: a plurality of load centers,wherein each load center includes a pair of load center switches, andwherein each load center has an assigned priority; a plurality of dutypower module (DPMs) coupled to the load centers via a set ofcorresponding switches using preferred setting (PS) inputs and alternatesetting (AS) inputs, wherein each switch includes a transfer mechanismconfigured to transfer power from the PS input to the AS input inresponse to a failure of an associated DPM; and a damage limitation (DL)mode manager that, in response to a detected power failure and assignedpriorities, disables the transfer mechanism of a first subset ofswitches and disconnects a second subset of switches from correspondingload centers.
 17. The ARP platform of claim 16, wherein the DL modemanager includes a predefined scheme for disabling transfer mechanismsand disconnecting load center switches.
 18. The ARP platform of claim16, wherein each assigned priority is based on a functional importanceof each load center.
 19. The ARP platform of claim 16, furthercomprising standby generators.
 20. The ARP platform of claim 16, whereineach switch comprises one of: a static transfer switch (STS), a staticswitch, a solid-state circuit breaker, a solid-state switch, anelectromechanical circuit breaker or an electro-mechanical switch.